Darius Aric

His mother was a humble shamaness named Kia. She was a commoner, yet she was touched by the divine. One night, she was meditating beneath the stars when a brilliant ray of pure, golden light descended from the heavens, piercing the roof of her simple shelter and enveloping her.    This was no ordinary light; it was believed to be a manifestation of the Celestial Weaver, the divine being said to orchestrate the threads of destiny. Through this light, Darius was conceived, his essence imbued with a spark of cosmic wisdom. As he was born, a wonderful event happened. His mother felt no pain, and instead of the expected cries, the newborn let out a clear, resounding peal of joyous laughter. This wasn't the gurgle of an infant, but a sound so potent and pure that it cleansed the steppes around the village. As his laughter filled the air, the dark spirits vanished instantly, driven away by the sheer force of his innocent mirth. His mother knew this was a sign of a child destined for greatness, a beacon against the encroaching shadows.   She had a premonition that this miraculous birth would draw unwanted attention or danger from the jealous chieftain and ancient evils, so she made a heartbreaking decision. Following a prophecy sent in her dreams, Darius was placed in a basket and sealed like an egg. He was laughing the whole time that she sealed him in and put him in the river, under the cloak of dawn. Set him adrift upon the wide, meandering river that flowed through the steppes down to the plains, trusting to the Celestial Weaver's design.   The basket was discovered downstream not by a noble or even a warrior, but by a commoner and forager. Her name is Mara Oynaa, a solitary and wise river-forager who spent her days collecting medicinal herbs and rare stones from the riverbanks. Mara longed for a child, so she took the laughing child as her own, raising him with the quiet wisdom of the earth and the boundless patience of the river itself.    Though his origins were humble and his early life simple, the divine spark and the echo of his birth-laughter remained. Nearby, Fae, nature spirits, and animals were attracted to his pure spirit. He grew up around the water nymphs and the herb fairies, learning the joy of nature from the fae of the land. These influenced him, subtly shaping Darius into the luminous sage-king he was destined to become, a leader whose wisdom illuminated the path and whose presence dispelled the shadows.